Cape Town - Over the next three years, government will focus on five key areas to grow the economy and transform South Africa into a safer, healthier, more skilled country that is able to create and sustain more jobs.

Despite the fact that expenditure on infrastructure such as roads and transport has risen sharply, the country has made little progress on many of the Millennium Development Goals.

Too many children cannot read or count, too many women die giving birth and too few people are reached by public employment programmes.

Government's key areas outlined in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement are: supporting job creation; enhancing education and skills; improving provision of health care; driving a strategy to assist rural areas and upping the fight against crime and corruption.

Government plans to continue investing in infrastructure over the next three years and to promote the access to basic services - such as water, sanitation and electricity - to expand public transport and to build more schools and hospitals.

Cape Town - Government plans to transform the economy by expanding growth and job creation, while developing a more effective public service, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Presenting his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament today, Gordhan said a sound fiscal position has allowed government to sustain public services and to increase spending on investment aimed at raising future growth.

A Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.5 percent is forecast for 2010, with a forecast growth of 3.2 percent in 2012.

There are signs that the economy is recovering, said the minister.

While the GDP is expected to decline by 1.9 percent for 2009, South Africa is expected to experience a growth in GDP in the last quarter of this year.

Consumer price inflation has fallen from a peak of 13.6 percent in August last year to 6.4 percent for the same period this year largely as a result of moderating food and oil prices and a stronger rand.

Voltas Technologies Pty Ltd has a comprehensive range of quality renewable energy products and has the expertise to provide customised heating and cooling solutions based on solar technology. The company hold the South African distribution rights for a number of absorption/adsorption systems in South Africa of including those manufactured by Broad (China), Yazaki (Japan) and Sortech (Germany).

Voltas Technologies also has distribution rights for the EcooSolar range of integrated solar water heating systems produced by the Himin Energy Group (China) for which an SABS mark of approval is imminent. The company also owns the SOLARO brand, an integrated solution for solar water heating installations manufactured entirely in Europe and now distributed in South Africa.

South Africa: Murray and Roberts Hurt By Strong Rand - CONSTRUCTION and engineering group Murray & Roberts said yesterday the recovery in key commodities had brought some stability to its international operations, but the continuing strength of the rand could hit its earnings for the year. [AA Construction]

Johannesburg - Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo will this morning visit the Alexandra Renewal Project, which recently won an award from United Nations Habitat for successfully revitalizing an urban environment.

The Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) was launched in 2001 to bring social, economic, physical and institutional developments to the historic township.

Among its objectives were to fix urban infrastructure, build houses and parks, convert hostels into family units and generally change the urban landscape of Alexandra.

UN Habitat said the project had seen some 7 000 families relocated from the banks of a polluted local river to better settlements.

"Urban greening was incorporated in the scheme which led to development of parks and recreation areas, new houses and schools were constructed and many other facilities are being refurbished," said the organisation.

New clinics improved access to healthcare, while 46 000 hygienic refuse bins have been distributed, drastically improving garbage collection.

Pretoria - Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system users have called on other commuters to leave their cars at home and "get on the bus" on Car-Free Day on Tuesday.

Sibusiso Mfumbotha, a regular user of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system from Orlando East, said the BRT system was "safe, quicker and much cheaper than using your own transport".

"I have been using the BRT system since its inception and I have saved a lot of money and time," said Mfumbotha, who went on to encourage people to take a Rea Vaya bus to work tomorrow.

Car-Free Day is marked on 20 October and is one of the highlights of Transport Month. It encourages commuters to use public transport in a bid to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

In Johannesburg, Transport Month could not have come at a better time, with the city's Rea Vaya BRT system in full swing.

Lerato Mano of Diepkloof, Soweto, said she would also be on one of the buses come Car-Free Day.

"I will be using BRT on the day and if I enjoy it then I will become a regular user. I'm wary of public transport but the BRT seems to be a good public transport option because I cannot stand traffic congestion," she said.

South Africa: Group Five Sees Strength in Diversity - CONSTRUCTION and engineering firm Group Five 's strategy to diversify revenue across different sectors is likely to pay off handsomely once the economy recovers from the recession. [AA Construction]

Cape Town - Minister of Public Works Geoff Doidge today announced the launch of a systematic process to clean up his department after it was given a qualified opinion by the Auditor General (AG).

While a forensic auditing firm will conduct an audit of all internal processes since March 2005, a consultancy - Simeka Consulting is to be contracted to conduct a probe which would run until March 31 next year.

The consultancy, which Doidge said had previously done work for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the Department of Defence, would second senior personnel to the department to effect a skills transfer.

A service-level agreement was expected to be signed with the consultancy this week.

Doidge said the clean up included among other things the clearing of all expense accounts; weeding out of duplicate payments to service providers and getting the long overdue Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) up and running. The department was requested by the National Treasury three years ago to have the entity set up.

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Pretoria - The construction of an International Airport in La Mercy, north of Durban, will be completed early next year to boost 2010 FIFA World Cup transport infrastructure.

The R7 billion international airport is anticipated to be completed in early 2010 and fully operational in March next year.

"While this airport will come into operation in March 2010, owing to the FIFA World Cup, we will keep the two Durban airports operational to cater for the expected influx of passengers during that period," said Transport Minister, Sibusiso Ndebele, on Tuesday during a visit at the airport.

This means KwaZulu-Natal will for some time next year have two international airports operating at the same time.

"Our presence here today is testimony that come 2010, our airports, roads and rail infrastructure will be ready to accommodate the transportation of more than 400 000 expected fans to various places for the tournament," the minister said.

y Sydney Masinga

Standerton - Calm has been restored in Standerton after the Mpumalanga government was given 24 hours to respond to the service delivery protests in the area.

The situation was turbulent on Tuesday morning when the community of Sakhile township marched to the offices of Lekwa local municipality, burning a community hall, before submitting a memorandum of their grievances to the acting municipal manager Jabu Sindane.

"Amongst our demands, we want all the councillors in that municipality to be fired. We also demand the resignation of all managers, and most of all we want Premier David Mabuza to come and address us in the local stadium.

Johannesburg - Poor South Africans could receive 70 kilowatts worth of free electricity if Eskom is granted a 45 percent "smoothed" tariff increase, says it's Chief Executive Jacob Maroga.

"We recommend that it be increased to 70 kilowatts and that the cost be carried by industry," Maroga told reporters as the parastatal unveiled details of its Multi-Year Price Determination 2 (MYPD 2) for the three-year period, beginning in 2010 to 2013.

This, he said, would limit the impact of the increase on poor households that currently received 50 kilowatts free basic electricity from government.

"This is the beginning of consultation and it will take some time," said Maroga, adding that government has been consulted on the matter.

"We are still in a process for things to be endorsed," he said, adding that public hearings were still to be held.

The parastal said it was in favour of a 45 percent annual tariff increase from next year until 2013 as opposed to once off 146 percent tariff increase. The 45 percent will result in a 30 billion shortfall and will involve an increase of 22 cents/KWPW.